Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd under the PFI contract for the construction of the terminal at Inverness Airport in each year from the inception of the contract to date; what the estimated costs are from now until the conclusion of the contract; what the estimated final total cost of the contract will be, and what the estimated cost of construction would have been if no PFI scheme had been entered into.

Lewis Macdonald: Under the terms of the PFI contract, no money has been paid to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) for the construction of the terminal at Inverness Airport. The total amount to be paid by HIAL to the terminal’s owners and operators, Inverness Air Terminal Ltd, over the contract years, is dependent on throughput at the terminal. Expansion of the terminal, to be funded by the PFI contractor, will be determined by enhanced passenger numbers. The cost of the terminal’s construction under PFI, as measured against procurement by public sector, represented value for money for the taxpayer. The details are commercially confidential.

Ambulance Service

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate sleep deprivation amongst staff of the Scottish Ambulance Service who are on call.

Malcolm Chisholm: The hours worked by staff, including while on call, is the subject of continuous monitoring by the Scottish Ambulance Service. This is essential to the welfare of staff and to providing safe and effective patient care.

Animals

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dog kennels have been registered to permit exports of animals overseas under EU Directive 1992/65 EEC.

Ross Finnie: None.

Central Heating

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made to date for free central heating in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire postcode areas under its central heating installation programme; how many of these applications have been authorised, and how many installations have been carried out.

Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30388 on 22 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found on   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

Community Care

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children with learning disabilities are housed in supported accommodation as part of the Care in the Community Strategy in each local authority area, broken down by council ward.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Community Safety

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by (a) central government and (b) Renfrewshire Council on crime prevention in the Renfrewshire area in each year since 1997.

Dr Richard Simpson: Spend by Renfrewshire Council on crime prevention is a matter for the Council. The information is not held centrally.

  Under the Make our Communities Safer CCTV Challenge Competition which ended in March 2002, the awards detailed in the table were made for fixed CCTV in the Renfrewshire area. These awards were made to local trusts. No bids were received for mobile CCTV.

  


1996-97 
  

Paisley Town Centre 
  

£51,695 
  



1997-98 
  

Johnstone Town Centre 
  

£54,000 
  



1998-99 
  

Renfrew Town Centre 
  

£70,000 
  



1999-2000 
  

Additional camera in Paisley Town Centre 
  

£5,000 
  



2000-01 
  
 

£0 
  



2001-02 
  
 

£0 
  



  On 1 April we introduced a new Community Safety Partnership Award Programme for all council-led Community Safety Partnerships. For 2002-03, Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership were awarded £147,521.59 to address local community safety priorities.

Crime

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the clear-up rate of recorded crimes was in (a) each category of crime and (b) total in (i) Renfrewshire and (ii) the K Division of Strathclyde Police in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in the following tables.

  Crimes Cleared Up by the Police as a Percentage of those Recorded, Renfrewshire Council Area, 1997-2001

  

 

Percentage 
  



Crime category 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Total crimes 
  

29 
  

37 
  

38 
  

37 
  

36 
  



Non-sexual crimes of violence 
  

60 
  

62 
  

68 
  

66 
  

66 
  



Serious assault etc 
  

51 
  

49 
  

57 
  

55 
  

57 
  



Handling offensive weapons 
  

100 
  

98 
  

98 
  

99 
  

99 
  



Robbery 
  

31 
  

39 
  

33 
  

34 
  

35 
  



Other 
  

82 
  

69 
  

85 
  

93 
  

87 
  



Crimes of indecency 
  

60 
  

63 
  

61 
  

57 
  

61 
  



Rape and attempted rape 
  

88 
  

45 
  

65 
  

60 
  

76 
  



Indecent assault 
  

54 
  

58 
  

44 
  

56 
  

43 
  



Lewd and libidinous behaviour 
  

55 
  

66 
  

64 
  

54 
  

60 
  



Other 
  

78 
  

76 
  

70 
  

69 
  

100 
  



Crimes of dishonesty 
  

22 
  

28 
  

30 
  

30 
  

30 
  



Housebreaking 
  

13 
  

16 
  

17 
  

16 
  

18 
  



Theft by opening lockfast places 
  

9 
  

15 
  

16 
  

19 
  

15 
  



Theft of motor vehicle 
  

18 
  

22 
  

25 
  

21 
  

26 
  



Shoplifting 
  

70 
  

76 
  

78 
  

75 
  

75 
  



Other theft 
  

14 
  

19 
  

19 
  

17 
  

18 
  



Fraud 
  

77 
  

84 
  

87 
  

91 
  

83 
  



Other 
  

97 
  

95 
  

95 
  

99 
  

99 
  



Fire-raising, vandalism etc 
  

14 
  

16 
  

18 
  

17 
  

14 
  



Fire-raising 
  

16 
  

15 
  

19 
  

14 
  

16 
  



Vandalism etc 
  

14 
  

16 
  

17 
  

17 
  

14 
  



Other crimes 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

99 
  



Crimes against public justice 
  

99 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

98 
  



Drugs 
  

100 
  

100 
  

99 
  

100 
  

100 
  



Other 
  

100 
  

78 
  

125 
  

67 
  

- 
  



  Crimes Cleared Up by the Police as a Percentage of Those Recorded, K Division of Strathclyde Police Force Area, 1997-2001

  


Crime category 
  

Percentage 
  



1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Total Crimes 
  

33 
  

38 
  

42 
  

42 
  

40 
  



Non-sexual crimes of violence 
  

60 
  

62 
  

69 
  

68 
  

73 
  



Serious assault etc 
  

53 
  

49 
  

58 
  

56 
  

60 
  



Handling offensive weapons 
  

101 
  

98 
  

99 
  

99 
  

100 
  



Robbery 
  

30 
  

37 
  

35 
  

38 
  

37 
  



Other 
  

80 
  

71 
  

88 
  

70 
  

97 
  



Crimes of indecency 
  

58 
  

65 
  

59 
  

63 
  

64 
  



Rape and attempted rape 
  

88 
  

62 
  

68 
  

53 
  

97 
  



Indecent assault 
  

49 
  

62 
  

49 
  

64 
  

49 
  



Lewd and libidinous behaviour 
  

54 
  

65 
  

59 
  

62 
  

61 
  



Other 
  

73 
  

73 
  

62 
  

77 
  

69 
  



Crimes of dishonesty 
  

25 
  

30 
  

34 
  

33 
  

31 
  



Housebreaking 
  

14 
  

18 
  

20 
  

19 
  

19 
  



Theft by opening lockfast places 
  

9 
  

14 
  

20 
  

22 
  

15 
  



Theft of motor vehicle 
  

20 
  

22 
  

27 
  

25 
  

25 
  



Shoplifting 
  

74 
  

76 
  

82 
  

79 
  

77 
  



Other theft 
  

16 
  

21 
  

22 
  

19 
  

19 
  



Fraud 
  

69 
  

71 
  

87 
  

93 
  

77 
  



Other 
  

95 
  

94 
  

98 
  

97 
  

99 
  



Fire-raising, vandalism etc 
  

17 
  

18 
  

19 
  

19 
  

16 
  



Fire-raising 
  

17 
  

16 
  

15 
  

16 
  

16 
  



Vandalism etc 
  

17 
  

18 
  

19 
  

19 
  

16 
  



Other crimes 
  

100 
  

100 
  

99 
  

100 
  

99 
  



Crimes against public justice 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

99 
  

99 
  



Drugs 
  

101 
  

100 
  

99 
  

100 
  

100 
  



Other 
  

100 
  

82 
  

120 
  

60 
  

33

Crime

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what success it has had in achieving reductions in the levels of street crime in (a) Scotland and (b) Renfrewshire since 1999 and what targets it has set for such reductions in this period.

Mr Jim Wallace: Street crime is not classified separately within centrally collected statistics. In addition to the specific targets for police forces already announced discussions are on-going with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and police authorities on setting a target to reduce the fear of crime.

Crime

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what success it has had in achieving reductions in the levels of violent crime related to drug use in (a) Scotland and (b) Renfrewshire since 1999 and what targets it has set for such reductions in this period.

Mr Jim Wallace: The following table shows the incidence of violent crime in (a) Scotland and (b) Renfrewshire. There is no data collected centrally to indicate how many of these crimes were related to drug use.

  Crimes Recorded by the Police, 1999-2001

  

 

Scotland 
  

Renfrewshire 
  



1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Non-sexual crimes of violence 
  

15,539 
  

15,196 
  

15,080 
  

693 
  

634 
  

792 
  



  Excludes crimes of handling offensive weapons.

  In March 2002, the Executive set a target, for the police service across Scotland, for violent crime to be reduced by 2003-04 to a level 5% below the three-year average of 1997-2000. How crime rates are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

Criminal Records

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to or by local authorities regarding the suitability of obtaining disclosure checks from the Scottish Criminal Record Office on members of school boards.

Cathy Jamieson: No specific guidance is issued to local authorities by the Scottish Executive on obtaining disclosure checks on members of school boards. School board members do not, in that capacity, normally have opportunities for unsupervised access to pupils.

  The Scottish Executive does, however, recommend that basic disclosure checks should be sought on all volunteer helpers in schools and at school events, with enhanced checks for those who have regular opportunities for unsupervised access to pupils.

Deaf and Hearing-impaired People

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most up-to-date figures are regarding how many teachers are trained to teach deaf or hearing-impaired children in each local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: At September 1998, there were an estimated 164 full-time equivalent teachers who had a hearing impairment teaching qualification in publicly funded schools in Scotland. Detailed information is not held for all authorities and is therefore not available in the form requested.

  However, the following table shows the number of peripatetic teachers for hearing impairment who were employed by education authority area in September 1999. No more recent data is available.

  


Scotland 
  

87.9 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

4 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

5.2 
  



Angus 
  

1 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

0.4 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

1.5 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

5 
  



Dundee City 
  

4 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

0 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

4 
  



East Lothian 
  

5 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

4.4 
  



Edinburgh, City Of 
  

8.3 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

0.5 
  



Falkirk 
  

3 
  



Fife 
  

1 
  



Glasgow City 
  

8 
  



Highland 
  

0 
  



Inverclyde 
  

0 
  



Midlothian 
  

not available 
  



Moray 
  

2.6 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

3 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

5 
  



Orkney Islands 
  

0 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

0 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

13.41




Scottish Borders 
  

2 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

not available 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

3 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

3.6 
  



Stirling 
  

0 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

0 
  



West Lothian 
  

0 
  



  Source: Survey of Teachers Employed Centrally or Mainly Outwith Schools.

  Notes:

  1. Renfrewshire Council figure includes visual impairment.

  2. Specialist teachers have been defined as peripatetic teachers. These teachers are employed centrally to teach deaf pupils in schools across the education authority. The figures do not include classroom-based staff.

Digital Technology

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether every school will have modern computers with broadband links to each other and to the world wide web before the dissolution of the Parliament in 2003 and whether it will detail the reasons behind its response.

Nicol Stephen: Between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 the Scottish Executive provided £80 million to local authorities through the National Grid for Learning programme of the Excellence Fund. This money was intended to help them achieve a number of targets for ICT in schools, including provision of modern computers and networking.

  The results of the 2001 School Census (available on the internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00168-00.asp) and the recently published results of the annual ICT survey (available on the internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00193-00.asp) give details of progress. The ICT survey indicated that, by February 2002, some 49% of secondary schools, 8% of primary schools and 13% of special schools in Scotland had broadband connections of 2Mbps or greater. In addition, 94% of secondary schools, 47% of primary schools and 39% of special schools have been internally networked for teaching purposes.

  As part of its broadband strategy, the Executive has developed the Pathfinder initiatives. Contracts to deliver broadband connections to all schools in the Highlands and Islands and in the South of Scotland (covering 8 of the 32 education authorities) are expected to be signed in 2003. A review of ICT infrastructure in every education authority is currently taking place as part of the considerations about ensuring schools outside the Pathfinder areas have access to broadband connections.

Digital Technology

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that every school pupil will have an e-mail address and access to the learning opportunities offered through the internet before the dissolution of the Parliament in 2003 and whether it will detail the reasons behind its response.

Nicol Stephen: Between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 the Scottish Executive provided £80 million to local authorities through the National Grid for Learning programme of the Excellence Fund. This money was intended to help them achieve a number of targets by 2002, including access to e-mail and to the internet.

  The results of the 2001 School Census (available on the internet at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00168-00.asp) showed that 100% of secondary schools and 84% of primary schools had access to the internet, and that 68% of secondary school pupils and 16% of primary school pupils had individual e-mail addresses. The Executive made clear to education authorities in March 2001 that access to e-mail using, for instance, whole class e-mail addresses was acceptable for younger pupils, where authorities had concerns about child protection. The 2002 position will be known when the results of the 2002 School Census are published in the spring of 2003.

Digital Technology

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide at least four modern computers for every class in every primary and secondary school before the dissolution of the Parliament in 2003, and whether it will detail the reasons behind its response.

Nicol Stephen: Between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 the Scottish Executive provided £80 million to local authorities through the National Grid for Learning programme of the Excellence Fund. This money was intended to help them achieve a number of targets by 2002, including pupil:modern computer ratios of 7.5:1 in primary schools and 5:1 in secondary schools.

  The results of the 2001 School Census (available on the internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00168-00.asp) showed that the target in secondary schools was achieved by 2001. At that time the ratio of pupils to modern computers in primary schools was 11:1. The position in 2002 will be known when the results of the 2002 School Census are published in spring 2003.

  The actual deployment of these computers within schools is a matter for local decision.

Digital Technology

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what equipment will be installed and located in Scotland by Band X with regard to the broadband trading platform being created by Scottish Enterprise; whether that equipment is more than an interface and switch to a London connection and, if so, whether it will give technical details, and whether equipment can be accessed directly from Scotland and, if so, how, or must be routed through London and, if so, how that will benefit Scottish internet service providers.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and, if so, in what way Scottish internet service providers will be able to sell into the broadband trading platform being created by Scottish Enterprise.

Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will define "improving the quality of life in our schools", as referred to in the education and young people section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys

Nicol Stephen: In Building a Better Scotland ESpending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys we indicated that we would invest £60 million in improving the quality of life in our schools. We shall announce shortly the arrangements under which this money will be made available and the purposes for which it is intended.

Education

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the gap is between the average attendance levels in schools serving areas of high and low deprivation as referred to in the education and young people section of its Draft Budget 2003-04.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive published, on 12 November 2002, Building a Better Scotland - Spending Review Proposals 2003-06, Technical Notes which explain the basis of the targets in the Draft Budget 2003-04. The full notes are accessible on the Scottish Executive website, and include comparative attendance levels for 2000-01.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many scientists are employed by the Fisheries Research Service and, of these posts, how many are dedicated to working on white fish stock assessments and related issues.

Ross Finnie: During 2001-02 Fisheries Research Services (FRS) employed the equivalent of 230 full-time scientists. It is currently estimated that the work of some 35 FRS scientists is dedicated to white fish stock assessments and related issues. The work of this group represents the Scottish contribution to the wider UK and international effort focussed on white fish issues.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30462 by Ross Finnie on 28 October 2002, whether it will list the names and farm addresses of each recipient of the payments of over £100,000 made to agricultural producers.

Ross Finnie: Information concerning the amounts paid to individual farmers is protected by the law of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act and cannot be disclosed.

Forensic Science

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many training posts in forensic medicine there are currently; where the posts are located, and which of them are currently vacant.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Forensic Science

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what workforce planning has been carried out in respect of forensic pathology.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: We have recently launched Working for Health - The Workforce Development Action Plan for NHSScotland , which has set a critical path for creating a robust development function integrating workforce planning and service planning across all services in NHSScotland, including forensic pathology.

Genetically-Modified Crops

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has authorised, or will authorise, the testing of GM maize (a) AgrEvo T14 Liberty Link, (b) AgrEvo CBH351 StarLink, (c) DeKalb DBT418 Bt Xtra, (d) DeKalb DLL25 GR, (e) Monsanto GA21 Roundup Ready, (f) Monsanto NK603 Roundup Ready, (g) Monsanto Mon801, (h) Monsanto Mon802, (i) Monsanto Mon805, (j) Monsanto Mon809, (k) Monsanto Mon830, (l) Monsanto Mon831, (m) Monsanto Mon832, (n) Pioneer 676, (o) Pioneer 678, (p) Pioneer 680, (q) AgrEvoMS3 and (r) AgrEvoMS6 before they enter the country.

Ross Finnie: Varieties of GM maize with a marketing consent for import into the EU have satisfied member states, including the UK, that neither the crop itself nor the marketed product poses a risk in terms of human health and environmental safety and are not required to be subjected to testing before entering the country. None of the varieties listed have yet received this marketing consent. Maize products intended for food or animal feed use are required to satisfy relevant food safety authorities in member states. Maize products intended for cultivation in Scotland or the rest of the UK must also be listed on the European Common Catalogue. There are currently no GM maize varieties grown commercially in the UK.

  GM varieties without European marketing consent cannot be sold on a commercial basis and require a Part B consent to be released for research and development purposes. Scottish ministers would only be prepared to issue the necessary consent on the basis of advice from the Executive’s scientific advisors that it was safe to do so. There are no GM maize varieties currently grown for research purposes in Scotland.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on developing a code of practice to respond to situations in the NHS such as the failure of the freezer tanks holding sperm samples at Western General Hospital in July 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS in Scotland is being reviewed and the lessons of this incident are being considered as part of that review.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what process should be followed by NHS boards and trusts prior to the closure of a hospital ward.

Malcolm Chisholm: Consultation and Public Involvement EDraft Interim Guidance was issued to NHSScotland in May. Central to the guidance is the need to involve patients and the public at an early stage of service change proposals, and in a modern, transparent and productive way. While the interim guidance is subject to a consultation process at present, NHS boards are expected to be able to clearly demonstrate that they have followed these principles for service change proposals.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to support families of former residents of Lennox Castle Hospital who have been resettled in the community.

Malcolm Chisholm: Significant efforts have been made by NHS Greater Glasgow to provide full support for the former residents of Lennox Castle Hospital and their families.

  From 1998 to April 2002 when the hospital closed, 351 patients were discharged, mainly to supported accommodation in and around Glasgow. The staff there are in regular contact with patients E families to offer support and advice, whilst additional measures to support former patients include:

  A Care Manager has been allocated to all patients discharged from the long-stay hospital, who conducts a yearly review of the patients and their care. When the need for further support is identified, a further plan is developed to meet the patient’s specific needs.

  During the closure process, Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust employed a Relative Liaison Worker who continues to act as a communication link with patients Efamilies, addressing any concerns.

  Social work services, through the established contract compliance mechanisms, will conduct a review of the involvement of families in the lives of patients who have been resettled.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant forensic pathologist posts there are currently; where the posts are located, and which of them are currently vacant.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Data on forensic pathologists are not available. However, data is available on histopathology, of which forensic pathology is a sub specialty.

  Table 1: Headcount and Whole Time Equivalent of Consultant Histopathologists Employed by NHSScotland

  


As at 30 September 2001 
  

Headcount 
  

WTE 
  



Scotland 
  

 132 
  

 115.3 
  



Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 7 
  

 7.0 
  



Ayrshire and Arran Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 7 
  

 7.0 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS 
  Trust 
  

 3 
  

 3.0 
  



Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 4 
  

 3.8 
  



Forth Valley Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 5 
  

 4.4 
  



Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 17 
  

 14.8 
  



South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 9 
  

 7.5 
  



North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 28 
  

 21.4 
  



Yorkhill NHS Trust 
  

 3 
  

 2.2 
  



Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 4 
  

 4.0 
  



Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 7 
  

 6.8 
  



Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 26 
  

 19.4 
  



West Lothian Health care NHS Trust 
  

 2 
  

 2.0 
  



Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

 13 
  

 11.9 
  



Common Services Agency 
  

 1 
  

 0.2 
  



  Table 2: Vacancies for Consultant Histopathologists in NHSScotland

  

 

Headcount 
  

Vacancies as a Percentage of Establishment 
  



As at 30 September 2001 
  

Total Vacancies 
  

Total Vacancies 
  



Scotland 
  

5 
  

3.6 
  



Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Ayrshire and Arran Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS 
  Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Forth Valley Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Yorkhill NHS Trust 
  

1 
  

25.0 
  



Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

2 
  

22.2 
  



Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

2 
  

7.1 
  



West Lothian Health care NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Common Services Agency 
  

- 
  

-

Health

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards in Scotland currently prescribe the anti-TNF drugs etanercept and infliximab and when any such boards started prescribing these drugs.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Etanercept and infliximab are available on NHS prescription. However, their use depends on the clinical judgement of specialists experienced in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Data on drugs dispensed in hospitals is not held centrally. Centrally collected data relates to items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.

  The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) has recently recommended etanercept and infliximab for use in certain circumstances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. NHSScotland is expected to take account of advice and evidence from the HTBS and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need.

Health

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to NHS boards about prescribing new drugs that have been endorsed by the Health Technology Board for Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards should ensure that drugs or treatments recommended by the Health Technology Board for Scotland are made available to meet clinical need.

Health

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is normal practice for NHS boards, following recommendations by the Health Technology Board for Scotland that a new drug should be prescribed, to receive additional funding to ensure that the drug can be made available.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are given a unified budget to enable them to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for each individual NHS board to decide the level of funding to allocate to meet the costs of prescribed drugs.

Health

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average annual cost to the NHS is of caring for someone with arthritis.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Historic Scotland

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for including an historical monument or site in the list of scheduled monuments.

Dr Elaine Murray: Under section 1(3) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, Scottish ministers may compile a schedule of ancient monuments and include in it any monument that appears to them to be of national importance.

  A monument is considered by Scottish ministers to be of national importance if, in the view of informed opinion, it contributes or appears likely to contribute significantly to the understanding of the past. Such significance may be assessed from individual or group qualities, and may include structural or decorative features, or value as an archaeological resource.

Historic Scotland

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many historical monuments or sites were (a) included in and (b) removed from the list of scheduled monuments in each of the last five years.

Dr Elaine Murray: The number of historic monuments or sites included in (scheduled or rescheduled) and removed from the schedule of ancient monuments (descheduled) in each of the last five years was as follows:

  


Year Rescheduled 
  

Monuments/Sites 
  

Monuments/Sites Scheduled or Descheduled 
  



1997-98 
  

366 
  

15 
  



1998-99 
  

346 
  

39 
  



1999-2000 
  

364 
  

22 
  



2000-01 
  

308 
  

17 
  



2001-02 
  

185 
  

15 
  



  The lower number of monuments scheduled, rescheduled or descheduled in 2001-02 was due to the negative impact of foot-and-mouth disease on access to the countryside for fieldwork.

Historic Scotland

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether annual targets are set for (a) Historic Scotland, (b) the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland and (c) the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in regard to listing historical monuments and sites and, if so, (i) what the targets were for each body in each of the last five years and (ii) whether the targets were met.

Dr Elaine Murray: Scottish ministers set a number of key performance targets for Historic Scotland to meet annually, including a target on the number of monuments to be scheduled.

  Historic Scotland’s targets for scheduling (which includes reschedulings and deschedulings as well as new schedulings) in each of the last five years were as follows.

  


Year 
  

Target 
  



1997-98 
  

380 
  



1998-99 
  

385 
  



1999-2000 
  

385 
  



2000-01 
  

325 
  



2001-02 
  

200 
  



  These targets were either met or exceeded in each year.

  As an agency of the Scottish Executive, Historic Scotland discharges Scottish ministers Estatutory responsibilities for scheduling. No targets for scheduling historical monuments and sites are set for the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland, which is an advisory non-departmental public body, or the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.

Historic Scotland

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Historic Scotland gives sufficient priority to ensuring the conservation of historic buildings by restoration for contemporary domestic use.

Dr Elaine Murray: Historic Scotland recognises the importance of finding new uses for historic buildings. Many will be considered adaptable to appropriate change in order to secure continued use. They will be given consent and may attract grant. However, a small number are considered by Historic Scotland as too important to the nation to warrant any change other than the least intervention necessary for their preservation.

Historic Scotland

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether officials at Historic Scotland are sufficiently accountable for their actions.

Dr Elaine Murray: Officials of Historic Scotland are civil servants of the Scottish Executive and directly accountable to me through the Chief Executive.

  In their response to the Public Appointments (Scotland) Bill, the Education, Culture and Sport Committee have asked the Scottish Executive to consider how Scottish ministers may be advised on built heritage issues, in addition to the advice provided by Historic Scotland. Ministers are considering this request and will be responding in advance of the stage 2 discussions on the bill.

Historic Scotland

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to making Historic Scotland a non-departmental public body.

Dr Elaine Murray: This was one of a number of options considered and rejected when Historic Scotland was established as an executive agency in 1991 and again as part of a review in 1994. The status of Historic Scotland as an executive agency, within the Scottish Executive, was confirmed by the then First Minister in July 1999 in the answer given to question S1W-696 on 28 July 1999. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

  Scottish ministers are considering the suggestion made by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee in their response to the Public Appointments (Scotland) Bill that the roles and responsibilities of Historic Scotland should be reviewed, and will be responding to the committee prior to Stage Two consideration of the bill.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to increase housing ownership opportunities for young local families in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in the last three years.

Ms Margaret Curran: Home ownership has increased substantially in recent years, from 1,132,000 dwellings (52.4% of stock) in 1991 to 1,506,000 dwellings (64.2% of stock) in 2001. This creates more opportunities for new households and those moving into home ownership for the first time. They also currently benefit from historically low interest rates.

  The Executive’s policy is to support Scottish households who aspire to home ownership whenever the financial circumstances of the household make this a sensible option. Our two main policies in this connection are the right to buy for those in the social rented sector and grant funding for low cost home ownership through Communities Scotland.

  In the three financial years to March 2002, a total of 40,934 houses were sold to sitting tenants by local authorities and Scottish Homes, and a further 2,134 by housing associations. Although sales of individual houses are not classified into rural and urban, 25% of local authority sales were in those 14 authorities with the most substantial rural areas, which held 23.5% of the local authority housing stock in 2001.

  Communities Scotland and its predecessor, Scottish Homes, approved grant linked to low cost home ownership schemes for 2,906 households in urban areas and 770 in rural areas in the last three financial years to end March 2002. Expenditure in those three years for these purposes was £67.9 million.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were convicted of speeding in each of the last four years, broken down by speed limit exceeded and showing the average fine incurred by people exceeding each speed limit.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is published at tables 8 and 9 in the statistical bulletin Motor Vehicle Offences in Scotland for the years 1997-2000 (Bib. numbers 19450, 4848, 10421 and 17819 in the Parliament’s Reference Centre). The available statistics relate to the offence categories of "speeding in restricted areas", where the speed limit involved is generally 30 mph, and "other speeding offences".

Justice

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently get access to justice as referred to in the justice section of its Draft Budget 2003-2004.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Annual Report of the Scottish Legal Aid Board for 2001-02 shows that the courts, the board and solicitors made 427,873 grants of legal aid. In addition, between 1 December 1998 and 31 August 1999 - the most recent published information - the In-Court advice project at Edinburgh Sheriff Court assisted 1,017 people. The pilots under Part V of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 have only recently begun and information on the number of people assisted by these schemes is not yet available.

Learning Disabilities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children defined as having learning disabilities there are in each local authority area, broken down by council ward.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Maternity Services

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether pre-natal ultrasound scanning services are provided on a uniform basis across Scotland and, if not, what the reasons are for regional differences.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Pre-natal, that is before pregnancy, ultrasound scanning, is only used in the diagnosis and management of specific conditions and, therefore, there is no uniform service. Ultrasound scanning is, however, routinely conducted throughout Scotland during the antenatal period of pregnancy, at approximately 10 to 12 weeks, to confirm pregnancy, identify progress and carry out accurate dating. Other ultrasound scans may be carried out in relation to the management of specific conditions in pregnancy, but these are not routine. Some trusts provide routine foetal anomaly scanning at around 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy whilst other trusts only offer this on demand or when a problem arises. The Health Technology Board for Scotland is currently reviewing the scientific evidence for routine ultrasound scanning before the 24th week of pregnancy and the resulting recommendations will inform guidance to the NHSScotland.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric patients have been admitted to pass beds in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to acute psychiatric beds in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to determine, from national sources, patients who were treated specifically in beds allocated for acute care. The following table shows the total number of individuals who were admitted to a psychiatric hospital or unit, excluding patients admitted to the specialty of Psychiatry of Old Age, on at least one occasion during the year specified. It is likely that some of the patients included in the table will have been admitted for reasons other than for acute care. The figures for year ending March 2002 are not yet available.

  Patients Admitted to Mental Illness Hospitals or Psychiatric Units in Scotland; April 1997 to March 20011; all Psychiatric Specialties Excluding Psychiatry of Old Age2

  


Health Board of Residence3


Year Ending 31 March 
  



1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001P




Scotland 
  

15,069 
  

15,195 
  

14,978 
  

14,692 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

1,671 
  

1,637 
  

1,654 
  

1,598 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

1,266 
  

1,239 
  

1,165 
  

1,115 
  



Borders 
  

307 
  

308 
  

298 
  

301 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

506 
  

467 
  

428 
  

472 
  



Fife 
  

908 
  

918 
  

865 
  

801 
  



Forth Valley 
  

700 
  

691 
  

608 
  

646 
  



Grampian 
  

1,182 
  

1,320 
  

1,243 
  

1,224 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

2,826 
  

2,861 
  

2,925 
  

2,913 
  



Highland 
  

662 
  

713 
  

717 
  

819 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

1,328 
  

1,360 
  

1,438 
  

1,489 
  



Lothian 
  

2,252 
  

2,249 
  

2,260 
  

1,983 
  



Tayside 
  

1,371 
  

1,424 
  

1,331 
  

1,271 
  



Island Boards 
  

159 
  

87 
  

138 
  

144 
  



  Notes:

  PProvisional

  1. Analysis based on year of admission.

  2. Specialties included are general psychiatry, child psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and learning disability; individuals admitted to the specialty of Psychiatry of Old Age within the four-year period are excluded.

  3. Health board of residence is that at the time of admission.

Museums and Galleries

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what policy it expects the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to follow with regard to supporting artists working in Scotland.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art was founded in 1959 to continue the international collections of the National Gallery into the 20th century. It has never been the specific responsibility of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to support artists working in Scotland, which has been central to the remit of the Scottish Arts Council. However, one of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s aims is to acquire significant works by the best artists working in Scotland and to mount exhibitions of their work. The term "best" is difficult to define but all works acquired by the gallery must be able to stand up to being viewed in an international, as opposed to a local, context. The collective judgement of all the expert curators working at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, as well as broad professional opinion, inform these decisions. Since it moved into its present building in 1984, 50% of its exhibitions have been devoted to modern and contemporary Scottish art, including large surveys such as The Vigorous Imagination (1987) and Scottish Art since 1900 (1989). The first exhibition of a living artist in the refurbished Playfair Galleries in 2004 will be of Douglas Gordon, a Turner Prize-winning Scot.

Museums and Galleries

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the official role is of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; to whom the trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland are responsible with regard to ensuring that the gallery fulfils that role; what performance monitoring with regard to that role is undertaken, and by what mechanisms and at what frequency that role is reviewed.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art was founded in 1959 with the following remit:

  "to acquire and exhibit works by some of the most significant artists, both international and Scottish, active from the 1890s to the present day"

  The Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland are responsible to the Scottish Executive. In common with other non-departmental public bodies, the National Galleries agree a corporate plan for all their galleries (including the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art) with the Scottish Executive each year and publish regular reports on all their activities (acquisitions, exhibitions etc). The Scottish Executive monitors the National Galleries continuously and measures their performance against the agreed criteria laid down in the corporate plan.

Museums and Galleries

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art publishes, on a regular basis, the list of acquisitions it has made, along with the price of each acquisition and an explanation of why the item was acquired and how it fits into the gallery’s official role.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art already publishes a list of its acquisitions in its reports. It does not at present publish the price of each acquisition nor give an explanation for the acquisition of each item. This is consistent with the policy of the National Galleries of Scotland as well as with all national museums and galleries in Britain.

  To explain each acquisition would be voluminous since the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art often acquires several hundred items each year.

Museums and Galleries

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art publishes the cost of acquiring each item on display alongside that item together with a brief explanation of why the item was acquired for the gallery’s collection.

Dr Elaine Murray: To display the cost of each item acquired would reduce the value of the works of art solely to their monetary value. The gallery already writes explanatory labels about nearly all the works it has acquired and these may indicate a reason for the acquisition where it is relevant to understanding the work in question. However, to concentrate on why a work was acquired rather than trying to give an insight into the work itself would be highly restrictive and divert attention from the work to the gallery.

Museums and Galleries

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what external assessment has taken place of the performance of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in terms of its contribution to the support and development of the arts in Scotland.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Executive recognises the reputation the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art enjoys internationally and considers this of positive value to Scotland.

NHS Funding

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been given to each NHS board to take account of the costs of prescribing drugs in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are given a unified budget to enable them to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for each individual NHS board to decide the level of funding to allocate to meet the costs of prescribed drugs.

NHS Staff

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any national grievance procedures that NHS boards and trusts need to follow when dealing with representations made by trade unions over the closure of a hospital ward.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards and trusts have a duty to work in partnership with staff and to consult them on issues that affect them in their working lives. All NHSScotland employers are required to have grievance policies and procedures in place to address employee concerns. National guidance on dealing with employee concerns is set out in the Partnership Information Network Guideline entitled Dealing with employee concerns .

Police

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister has had sight as at 6 November 2002 of a draft of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s report on police visibility.

Mr Jim Wallace: A draft copy of this report was passed to me by e-mail at the end of October.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any land has been transferred from the Scottish Prison Service in each of the last five years; if so, where, why and to whom the transfer was made, and what the value of the land was.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No land has been transferred from the Scottish Prison Service in the last five years.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many male, long-term sex offenders were in custody on average in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is given in the following table:

  Male Prisoners in Custody on 30 June with a Sentence of Four Years and Over Whose Main Crime was a Crime of Indecency

  


As at 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Number of prisoners 
  

250 
  

275 
  

303 
  

309 
  

301

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28515 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, why the answer did not indicate what plans are in place to evaluate prisoners considered eligible for the Retox Programme prior to release and what any such plans are.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  All prisoners who may be considered suitable for retoxification prior to release are afforded a comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment while in custody, as outlined in the answer given to question S1W-28515.

Prison Service

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were held on remand in Scottish prisons in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; how long on average each such prisoner spent in prison; what the average cost was per prisoner, and how many such prisoners received a prison sentence.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is given in the following table. The information held by the SPS cannot identify the numbers of remand prisoners who subsequently received a prison sentence for the offences for which they were remanded in custody. Some prisoners are imprisoned frequently for short periods and re-offend very shortly after release. It is therefore possible for a prisoner to be received into custody under sentence for offences committed before those for which they had last been remanded in custody. The available information therefore cannot identify how the offences for which a prisoner is serving a sentence relate to the charges for any previous period on remand. The information on costs per prisoner place is also not available. The SPS is set a Key Performance Indicator to operate within an average annual cost per prisoner place. Costs are not maintained separately by gender or sentence period. These are set out in the SPS annual reports.

  

 

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Remand receptions to penal establishments 
  

15,291 
  

13,945 
  

15,433 
  



Average time spent on remand in days 
  

24 
  

23 
  

23

Prison Service

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a duty on local authorities to work with prisons in providing after-prison throughcare.

Mr Jim Wallace: Local authorities already have a duty to provide throughcare to prisoners subject to statutory supervision on release. Under provisions in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, short-term prisoners not subject to statutory supervision on release are also entitled to request advice, guidance and assistance from local authorities in the 12 months following their release from prison.

  The Tripartite Group, consisting of representatives from the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and the Association of Directors of Social Work, has prepared a report on ways to strengthen the present throughcare arrangements and to manage the effective transition from prison to the community. One of the priorities for future action is to formalise liaison arrangements between SPS and local authority criminal justice social work services to ensure a coherent framework for throughcare services. I plan to publish the report next month.

Public Transport

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with bus operators the introduction of a fund similar to the Kick Start scheme in New Zealand in order to give short-term help to specific increased levels of bus services with incentives to bus operators to deliver increased use of such services.

Lewis Macdonald: Kick Start is an innovative proposal which is receiving consideration by the Executive in the context of the UK Department for Transport’s current bus subsidy review.

Roads

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvement schemes it anticipates will start on the A75 between Dumfries and Stranraer from now to 2010; whether each scheme is confirmed or projected, and what the planned or projected start date of each scheme is.

Lewis Macdonald: The following improvements to the A75 are presently being prepared and their cost has been included in the Scottish Budget settlement for 2003-06. The settlement has ensured that subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures, the schemes requiring funding during this period will be able to proceed to construction

  


Cairntop to Barlae 
  

Construction start programmed for spring 2003. 
  



Newton Stewart (DAL) Differential Acceleration Lane 
  

Construction start programmed for autumn 2003 
  



Barfil to Bettyknowes 
  

Construction start programmed for autumn 2003 
  



Planting End to Drumflower 
  

Construction start programmed for spring 2004 
  



Dunragit Realignment 
  

Construction start programmed for autumn 2006 
  



Hardgrove to Kinmount 
  

Construction start programmed for autumn 2006 
  



  Mouchel have assessed two additional schemes on the A75 route under phase 2 of the A75/A77 Port Approach Study the results of which are currently being analysed.

Scottish Executive Publications

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the report commissioned by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department and compiled by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and others, referred to in page 10 of The Press and Journal  on 6 November 2002, has been made available to (a) the Parliament and (b) the media and, if so, on what dates and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ross Finnie: The report comprises 10 volumes setting out the results of the first five years of a 10-year monitoring programme for Scotland’s Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes, which commenced in 1994. The reports were published in 1999 and 2000 and have been publicly available since then. I have made arrangements for a copy of each of the volumes to be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 25232).

Scottish Executive Publications

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is with regard to the publication of reports commissioned by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive's policy with regard to the publication of commissioned reports is set out in the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information . As set out in the code, the assumption is that information should be released except where disclosure would not be in the public interest, as specified in Part II of the code.

Scottish Executive Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) employees and (b) former employees of its Security Branch have received payment for backdated travel time allowances to date, broken down into full-time and part-time employees, and how much has been paid out in total to date.

Mr Andy Kerr: We are currently collecting information from Chessington, this has taken longer than anticipated. I shall write to the member as soon as the information becomes available and will also place a copy in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hits its Learn to Let Go website has had (a) in total and (b) each month and how these figures compare to pre-launch projections.

Lewis Macdonald: The number of hits on the site since its introduction is 395,908. However, given the opinion of the National Audit Office, in their report on Government websites, that hits is not a reliable way to measure activity, we monitor the site using figures relating to page impressions. Page impressions measure the number of actual pages a user views on the site.

  Since its introduction in June 2001, there have been 76,989 page impressions viewed on the Learn to Let Go website Emonthly figures are as follows. We had no firm projections of how many page impressions the site would attract, as there were no precedents to benchmark against.

  Page Impressions

  


June 2001 
  

2,455 
  



July 2001 
  

3,413 
  



August 2001 
  

3,122 
  



September 2001 
  

5,493 
  



October 2001 
  

2,438 
  



November 2001 
  

2,679 
  



December 2001 
  

4,355 
  



January 2002 
  

5,154 
  



February 2002 
  

4,324 
  



March 2002 
  

4,034 
  



April 2002 
  

4,451 
  



May 2002 
  

4,957 
  



June 2002 
  

7,201 
  



July 2002 
  

7,213 
  



August 2002 
  

7,311 
  



September 2002 
  

6,113 
  



October 2002 
  

4,476

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30631 by Cathy Jamieson on 6 November 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the National Debate on Education website are inclusive of VAT.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30638 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 October 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the Children's Hearings website are inclusive of VAT.

Cathy Jamieson: Yes.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30636 by Iain Gray on 6 November 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the Funding for Learners website are inclusive of VAT.

Iain Gray: The costs are inclusive of VAT.

Social Justice

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to build up community organisations in deprived areas to enable them to deliver community plans.

Ms Margaret Curran: Scottish Executive resources are channelled to the community and voluntary sectors in disadvantaged areas in a number of ways, for example through Social Inclusion Partnerships, the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund, and via local authorities, health boards and other community planning agencies. The Scottish Executive encourages local authorities and other agencies to involve the voluntary and community sector in planning and managing services at local level as they are known to have particular skills in working with particular groups and in particular areas. The Local Government in Scotland Bill sets out a framework for community engagement in Community Planning including a duty for local authorities (as facilitators of the process) to consult and co-operate with community bodies. We will expect to see the interests of voluntary and community organisations properly respected in the community planning process throughout Scotland.

Social Work

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the figures on vacancies in local authority social work services in Statistical Bulletin SWK/S/2002/24, what the figures are for vacancies and percentage vacancies specifically for social workers in each local authority area.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the figures on vacancies in local authority social work services in Statistical Bulletin SWK/S/2002/24, what the figures are for vacancies and percentage vacancies specifically for social workers working with children and families in each local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is available in the recently published Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Social Work Services for Scotland at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/socialwork/swsi/annualreports.asp.

Special Educational Needs

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when timescales for completing the staged assessments and planning process referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? will be produced and whether the timescales will be issued for consultation purposes.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consultation on timescales for completing the staged assessments and planning process referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? will include whether such timescales should be guidelines or legal requirements.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed Co-ordinated Support Plans referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? will specify the amount and quality of provision required for a child.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether children and young people who have specific or pronounced educational needs requiring continuing review will be provided with a Co-ordinated Support Plan.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in regard to the proposal for Co-ordinated Support Plans referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? , what (a) the assessment process will be, (b) sources of advice will be used, (c) information the plans will contain and (d) involvement parents and/or young people will have in the preparation of the plans.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescales will be with in which parents and/or young people can appeal a proposed Co-ordinated Support Plan as referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward?

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether parents and/or young people will be able to apply for legal aid in order to be represented at any appeals tribunals referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward?

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether education authorities will have a duty to review proposed Co-ordinated Support Plans referred to in its consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? and how any such review process will be monitored.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether teachers will be given training to enable them to identify pupils that require special educational needs as referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? .

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the existing Level of Needs Matrix, as set out in the Manual of Good Practice, will be revised and issued to parents, young people and the appropriate professionals for consultation purposes.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the staged intervention process referred to in its response to the consultation Assessing our children’s educational needs: The Way Forward? will be produced and whether the process will be issued to parents, young people and the appropriate professionals for consultation purposes.

Cathy Jamieson: Consultation on the review of the assessment and recording process began in May 2001. The Scottish Executive has been developing further, with input from service users and providers, the proposals for change that were published in February 2002.

  In conjunction with the Special Educational Needs Forum, a forum of professionals, officials and parents, the Executive intends to publish early in 2003, a strategy for meeting the needs of children who require additional support for learning. A draft bill will also be published early next year and further consultation will take place on the proposed provisions in the draft bill.

  These documents will set out the further detail on the proposals for the new framework. New guidance will also be produced over the course of the next year to support implementation of the framework. The approach of consulting with and involving those affected by the system will continue throughout the development and implementation of the new framework for pupils who have additional support needs for learning.

Water Charges

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether debts relating to water charges have the same status as council tax debts in the debt collection process and, if so, what the justification is for debts for water charges taking priority over other debts such as those for electricity, gas or rent.

Ross Finnie: In Scotland, debts, whether they are for water charges, rent, council tax or due to utilities are treated equally in the debt collection process.

  However, if the debtor is in receipt of certain benefits and the debts are being recovered by direct deductions, these are made in the order set out in Schedule 9 to the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987. In Scotland, council tax and water charges debts are collected together and are therefore on an equal footing. Debts in relation to electricity, gas or rent hold a higher priority in the 1987 regulations than those for water charges.

Water Fluoridation

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to the British Fluoridation Society in each year since 1997; what this funding was for, and from which budget it came.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive’s funding of the British Fluoridation Society is provided through section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.

  The amounts awarded since 1997 are:

  


1997-98 
  

£6,500 
  



1998-99 
  

£8,000 
  



1999-2000 
  

£8,000 
  



2000-01 
  

£8,000 
  



2001-02 
  

£8,000 
  



2002-03 
  

£10,000 
  



  With regard to the purpose of funding, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30479 on 28 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

Youth Crime

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in Renfrewshire on the implementation of the 10-point action plan arising from Scotland’s Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002 .

Cathy Jamieson: Following the publication of the action plan, Renfrewshire Council received £113,506 from the Executive this year to prevent and reduce youth crime and a further £15,000 to help complete its youth crime audit. The council has now received a total of nearly £395,000 for investment in youth justice this year. This money and the national initiatives we are taking forward under the action plan will support local implementation. For example, the Safer Scotland police campaign (Action Point 4 of the 10-point plan) was launched across Scotland in October, offering public reassurance and higher visibility policing. Forces will also be focusing on key local issues such as youth disorder.

  The Executive published a report of a local authority youth justice mapping exercise which contains information about existing initiatives in Renfrewshire. The report is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 24541).

Youth Crime

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide core funding to the Safeguarding Communities, Reducing Offending in Scotland (SACRO) organisation for its work with young people, given that it provides funding for SACRO's work with adults.

Cathy Jamieson: On 18 October, I announced the creation of a National Crime Prevention Fund. All national voluntary sector agencies that deliver youth justice services, including SACRO, have been invited to apply to this fund.

Youth Crime

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that youth crime teams are set up in every local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: There is a multi-agency youth justice team in every local authority.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what the unit cost per PC will be of purchasing Microsoft Office XP for use by general users of parliamentary PCs and whether any other industry standard packages compatible at file level with Microsoft Office, such as StarOffice, were considered as an alternative.

Sir David Steel: Microsoft products used in the parliamentary estate are purchased under an agreement negotiated in March 2002 by the Office of Government Commerce on behalf of the UK public sector, including the devolved administrations. Through consolidating the purchasing power of the UK public sector this agreement has secured the most competitive prices for Microsoft products available to the organisations within its scope. The confidentiality provisions of this agreement do, however, prevent the publication of those prices.

  When developing the current Technology Refresh strategy, several office automation suites were considered, all of which offered basic compatibility. The Microsoft Office suite best met the technical and business needs of the Parliament.